One Final Letter
by A. Andegora
Summary: One summer night everything changes, the night Harry recieves a letter that saves his life. That doesn't mean his 6th year turned out to be any easier...if anything, it's complicated things to no end.
1. The Letter

He threw his wand aside as he entered his room. Another threat he wouldn't be able to complete, he could just feel the Dursley's laughing on the floor beneath him. As tempted as he was to owl the order, he refused to give in.  
  
They couldn't help him right now, no one could. Sirius was dead, and it was up to him to save the world. Yet, he was only 16. At times before he had found himself cursing his classmates for their blissfully ignorant lives, yet he had always managed to find his way back to them.  
  
But now the break was more prominent. He was not the same as the students who walked the halls of Hogwarts. He would never be. Either way, he would be a victim or a murderer. Neither good options. It was because of him his parents were dead. It was because of him Cedric was dead. It was because of him Sirius was dead. Now that the lines of sanity were blurred he could see that clearly. This past month of summer had been increasingly difficult to cope with. He had volunteered himself to do each and every back-breaking chore the Dursley's needed.  
  
He had to find something to keep his mind busy, but nothing was helping. The pile of unanswered letters on his desk was living proof of the constant reminder of the life he was to return to. He breathed heavily as he realized he had reached his breaking point. He could not see anyone else die. Lifting his head, he looked to the wand that he had hastily thrown into a corner of the room.  
  
Slowly he walked over and picked it up. He sat back down on his bed staring at his wand numbly.  
  
Disclaimer: Sadly...no, none of it is mine. All belongs to Rowling. --  
  
A/N: Yes... kind of short for a start. But it's just a start. Some replies and who knows what more will come.  
  
This was it, he thought, his key to freedom. His key to a life away from this pain. Never again would his shoulders feel the crushing weight they did now. Never again would his lungs be suffocated with the insufferable expectations. He lifted his tear stained face towards Hedwig who was flapping her wings violently now.  
  
"I'm sorry Hedwig..." he whispered and pointed the wand to himself. "Avada Ke--"  
  
He was abruptly thrown against the wall as Hedwig collided into him at full force. She snatched the wand from his hand violently and promptly flew straight out the open window.  
  
Harry lay a flustered mess on the floor crying silently to himself and condemning his owl for taking his chance away. His hands were shaking as he stared out the window, trying to catch a last glimpse of Hedwig. It was after this that he noticed something laying across his stomach; a letter. Numbly he tore it open, if he didn't have his wand he would find some other way. After one final letter.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I don't know what you feel, or what you're going through. But I can tell you this, I got a hint of it when my dad was in the hospital. Harry, I think you've never realized you saved his life. You've done so much for everyone, but somehow you're blind. Ron and Hermione have sent you so many letters, they're so worried. Your one line responses aren't any better helping the situation.  
Do you remember that time in second year when I gave you that valentine? I was so scared, it was you that made me feel that way. You gave me those butterflies that even Michael couldn't give me. But Harry, I was so s cared that when I came across that diary it trapped me completely. You don't need to be scared, and you certainly don't need to be trapped.  
You've saved my life as well. Just look at how many people have been saved instead of focusing so much on those that have been an unfortunate accident that weren't even your fault. Harry please, open your eyes. You were never meant to go through this alone, you just have to let us help. Honestly, sometimes you get me so bloody furious I almost feel like chopping your head off with a spoon! Maybe that way you'll feel the pain you cause us when you break away. We're staying right where we are Harry, with you. Whether you like it or not. Just please, remember us.  
  
Love,  
  
Ginny  
  
PS. I expect an owl immediately.  
  
He breathed slowly and looked out through his window to the night sky. For this one moment, just this one moment, it held something different, something that could vaguely be described as light. He grabbed at his quill and tore off excess parchment from nearby. He slowly replied to Ginny, as if each latter took him tremendous effort.  
  
Ginny,  
  
Thank you.  
  
Harry  
  
He pulled himself up and put the folded letter on the windowsill. Hedwig would see it when she returned. He stuffed his hands into his pockets looking distraught and seemingly powerless to his surroundings. Everything was different now, and as long as he would live, what made it different would be between himself and Hedwig. After one final choppy sigh, he made his way towards the doorway. Maybe the garden needed some pruning. 


	2. Early Mornings

Disclaimer: Yeap, still JK Rowling's.  
  
A/N: Thanks for the review tennisplaya278!  
  
Ginny heard a tapping at her window at the burrow and shuffled out of bed, who in Merlin's name would be owling her so late (or early for that matter?). She opened the window and fell back onto her bed with shock as she realized who the owl must be from: Harry. It was strange though, Hedwig barely popped in to drop the letter off before she flew back out. It was almost as if she didn't want to be away from home for very long.  
  
She stretched awake and reached for the letter dropped onto the floor.  
  
Ginny,  
  
Thank you.  
  
Harry  
  
She scoffed. Really, that Harry Potter was quite a talker. She basically writes him a book and he replies with two words. Not only that but she opened herself to him, for the first time ever she had talked with him about her former crush, she was atleast expecting some sort of response from that. All that said, she was still glad to know that he was alive and well.  
  
She lay the letter on her desk and looked to the opposite corner of the room where Hermione was still sleeping soundly through all the commotion. Hermione had been there for about a week now, it had given them some time to continue bonding, though Hermione's first priorities would always be Harry and Ron. She smirked, Ron, if only those two weren't so flatly stubborn they'd realize they were meant for eachother.  
  
Quietly she exited the room and crept slowly down the stairs where she found the kitchen empty. She decided on making herself a cup of tea, even despite the summer heat. The passed summer, and year for that matter, had been....incredibly difficult. So much had happened to change so many things, she found it hard to keep track of it all. All she knew was that Harry clearly wasn't doing as well as he tried to make everyone think. Ron and Hermione knew that, but seeing as they were so close to him, so close to Sirius, they couldn't have an outsider's view on this.  
  
"Outsider." she whispered as she rummaged around the kitchen.  
  
The word had used to sting her. That was what she was when she was with the trio after all, and sometimes she resented Harry and Hermione for taking away her brother from her. Especially Hermione. But as time passed, she realized, maybe they needed him more than his own sister did.  
  
"Gin?" she heard a voice whisper from behind her.  
  
She grinned tiredly. "Ron, couldn't sleep either I presume?"  
  
"You presumed correctly." he replied as he took a seat at the breakfast table.  
  
She nodded towards the kettle on the stove. "I'm making tea...want some?"  
  
He shrugged, she took that as a yes. After getting the water and such ready she took a seat across from Ron who had a distant look in his eyes.  
  
"Something wrong?" she asked worried.  
  
He looked down to his hands. "I had that dream again." he replied quietly. She kept silent, he had told her before. "Only this time...it changed. I still had the dream about the fight....I still saw Sirius fall through the veil...Only this time, Harry ran after him, and then Hermione did...and then you did."  
  
Ginny stood from her seat and walked over to her brother. She embraced him in a hug, one of the few times they allowed their true bond to show through.  
  
"It'll be okay Ron. Harry's coming to the burrow this friday and we'll all be together."  
  
"I hope that's enough."  
  
They heard the kettle whistle in the distance. "Me too." she replied.  
  
Friday came sooner than they thought and now Ron, Hermione, and her were anxiously awaiting by the fireplace where Harry and Mr. Weasley would floo in at any moment.  
  
"Honestly children, they'll be here any minute now, no need to worry!" Mrs. Weasley chimed at them reproachfully, although her excitement could be heard.  
  
As if on cue, a burst of dust and a figure immerged from the fireplace with a loud crash. Harry Potter stood before them, dirt smudged, and with tired smile on his face.  
  
Hermione rushed up to him first and embraced him in a bone-crushing hug. "Harry! Oh we've missed you!"  
  
Ron chuckled in the background. "Glad you're here mate." Mrs. Weasley was quick to follow up with an equally crushing hug.  
  
"Oh Harry! Look at you! You look ghastly! Have those muggles even been feeding you? We'll have an early lunch straight away!" she said and shuffled off to the kitchen.  
  
Harry smiled. "I'm glad I'm here too. I got all your letters...sorry I didn't reply really. I was busy...you know."  
  
Ginny stopped from rolling her eyes as Hermione and Ron cast eachother a knowing look. Harry had not been busy, they knew that. But they had also all agreed, all Weasleys included, to try to have the most normal remainder of the summer they could.  
  
Harry looked around. "The house seems....quiet?"  
  
"That's because it is." she said speaking for the first time. "Fred and George have rented a place to live right over there shop, they're in the process of moving there. So it's just been me, Ron, and Hermione." She noticed he was looking at her in a strange way, or more exactly, not looking at her.  
  
"Is that so?" he replied. "Interesting."  
  
"Yes." she said wryly. "Very." She looked to the trio as a silence fell, and she realized with a pain this was her cue to leave. Harry, Ron, and Hermione would probably want to have a talk about any new Order buisness and what not. Her being the oh so loving sister that she was, took the hint.  
  
"Well," she started, "I need to go help mum with lunch."  
  
She left the room and Harry, Hermione and Ron were left to themselves. 


	3. Quidditch

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns everything HP. That lucky woman.  
  
(A/N): I finally found the link to this haha, and I realized that there were some things wrong with the formatting, hopefully didn't mess you up too bad. Anyhoo, thanks for the reviews!

* * *

Harry watched as Ginny left the room, and he stared after her confused. He was feeling something he couldn't describe...was it embarassment? He couldn't put his finger on it...but Ginny had saved his life, whether she knew it or not didn't matter. What matter is that he knew what had happened...and he felt that he owed Ginny something greater than he could give. He sighed and looked back to Ron and Hermione who had worry etched into their faces. In truth, he didn't want to be at The Burrow. He didn't need the memories this place brought to him; the memories of a time where he was in semi-relief. Although, he had never really been in relief. But even so, he needed to at least put a face for his friends.  
  
"Well," he started, "Have you...had any news?"  
  
Ron sighed. "We've tried to listen in on some of the meetings here at the Burrow, but they've been tighter than ever."  
  
Hermione nodded in agreement. "And Fred and George, now that they've become full-fledged members, they won't even open their mouths to us anymore."  
  
Ron grinned. "Although they did _accidentally_ leave some of that ear string on the breakfast table before one meeting."  
  
Harry grinned before realizing what Hermione had said. "Hang on, Fred and George? They're full fledged members now?"  
  
"Mum was furious about it...but Dad talked her into letting them help. After all, no one knows Hogwarts better than them." replied Ron.  
  
"Right." replied Harry slowly. He looked to the Weasley clock, no one was in any life-threatening danger as far. "What about Grimmauld's?"  
  
Ron's face darkened. "Well...we're not sure. Dad said there was a lot of things to work out about what'll happen to that place."  
  
"Children! Lunch is ready!" Mrs. Weasley chimed from the kitchen. Harry followed Ron and Hermione into the kitchen where Ginny was seated at the table.  
  
"Honestly, we tried to get you out of that muggle house sooner, things have just been...so difficult." Mrs. Weasley said as she loaded a dish full for Harry.  
  
Harry gave a small smile. "It's alright. I'm just glad to be here now."  
  
He glanced at Ginny who was staring at her plate playing with her food. She looked different somehow, her hair was longer now...she looked more grown up, in her eyes he saw that. Then again, Ron and Hermione looked older as well, he guessed he had joined them but he hadn't really bothered to look at a mirror.  
  
He saw Ginny sigh before seemingly gathering herself. "So, anyone up for a game of quidditch after lunch?"  
  
Ron frowned. "Ginny, why must you insist? That's all I've heard this summer, quidditch. Really, I love it as much as the next guy but honestly you're obssessed."  
  
She stuck her tounge out at him. "I just want to be ready for tryouts this year."  
  
Harry looked up. "You're trying out?"  
  
She looked to him. "Yes, chaser. I wasn't meant for seeker really."  
  
"And she's been absolutely deranged ever since." Hermione said with a grin.  
  
"Like said before, I just want to be ready." Ginny sighed amused. "So what do you say Harry, up for it?"  
  
He looked her in the eye, for the first time since he had arrived, and he saw something else. Something he couldn't quite describe, but somehow he knew she was also not being honest with them.  
  
"Of course." he replied, "Loser has to..."  
  
"Get rid of those blasted gnomes!" Mrs. Weasley chimed in heatedly, "Seem they've quadrupled this summer and it's quite tiring!"  
  
Harry grinned, "Well then, gnomes it is."

---  
  
Ginny walked into the kitchen as dusk had fallen and the light blue sky had started to fade into a reddish yellow.  
  
"Ginny! You're absolutely filthy!" Mrs. Weasley exlcaimed as she caught sight of Ginny.  
  
Ginny grinned and caught sight of her reflection in a nearby mirror. In truth, she was absolutely filthy. Her face was smudged with dirt, her hair was sweaty, and her robes were completely horrible yet through all this she had a wide smile on her face. She had beaten him, she had beaten Harry Potter in a quidditch game. Of course, it wasn't _really_ a proper game, having only two players on each side, but after convincing Hermione onto a broom they figured a game out. Really, Hermione wasn't meant for being in the air, she was hardly moving around and left most of the goal scoring to her. Luckily for her, Ron had been distracted trying to help Hermione to keep from falling and her and Harry had gone head to head. And what a wonderful head to head it had been that now she found herself about to take a long shower while Harry and Ron were tending to the gnomes in the yard.  
  
"Yes mum, I'm absolutely filthy!" she exclaimed happily and pranced off to the stairs. Hermione entered the kitchen with a tired sigh.  
  
"Whatever is the matter with Ginny??" Mrs. Weasley said as she looked after her daughter in a daze.  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Quidditch."

---  
  
"This is all your fault Potter." Ron grumbled as he struggled to hold down a feisty gnome.  
  
Harry scoffed. "Well, if you wouldn't have been so preoccupied with helping Hermione we could have won." For some reason this made Ron blush.  
  
Swiftly Ron grabbed at the gnome and with a quick spin threw it violently (more so than usual) into the distance.  
  
"Are we about done?" Harry asked as he threw his own, but not before being bitten smartly on his palm. He then muttered something Hermione would've blushed to have heard.  
  
Ron stifled a laugh. "Calm down, happens to me all the time."  
  
Harry looked down to his hand, which now had bleeding teeth marks on his palm. "Doesn't hurt any less." he grumbled as they made their way into the kitchen.  
  
Ginny and Hermione were sitting at the table with two identical smug smiles on their faces, but before anything could be said they heard a loud crack, and there was Mr. Weasley as flustered as ever.  
  
"Arthur! Where have you been?" Molly Weasley exclaimed as she rushed to his side in concern.  
  
He seemed in a daze and stumbled into a chair. "Molly..something....something has happened...this could change everything...."  
  
Her eyes widened. "Change everything?? What are you going on about??"  
  
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. This was the most tired and scraggly Harry had ever seen him, he subconciously cursed himself knowing that somehow he had been the cause. After all, everything that happened in the Order was somehow connected to him.  
  
"I've...I've....become the new minister." he said almost in a whisper, as if though he said it too loud it would fade away.  
  
Mrs. Weasley let out a gasp and plopped onto a nearby chair. He knew Ron, himself, and Hermione had looks of complete bewilderment on their faces. Ginny though, she had something else on her face; a smile from ear to ear. She rushed up to her father and embraced him in a bone-crushing hug ('_finally_' he thought _'I know to who the 'bone-crushing' hug gene from Mrs. Weasley went to'_).  
  
"Congratulations dad!" she exclaimed, Mr. Weasley's expression had changed from a distant one to a smile as well, but before he could react Mrs. Weasley had decided to follow in Ginny's suite.  
  
"Oh Arthur! That's wonderful!"  
  
Mr. Weasley flailed his arms around a bit. "Molly! I can't breathe!"  
  
She let him go. "Oh, sorry about that hun but it's so--"  
  
"Perfect!" Ron said, "Now you can show those crackpots at the ministry how to do their job!"  
  
Hermione shot him a dissaproving look. "They're not crackpots Ron, just terribly misguided."  
  
"Oh really? Well then last year they did a fabulous job didn't they?!" he returned hotly before glancing at Harry and recoiling completely. They had all promised not to mention last year in Harry's precense. They had promised to help him forget, now he felt terrible, but Harry caught this.  
  
"What's the matter Ron? You two were about to go at it rather nicely?" he asked cleverly avoiding what no one wanted to talk about, yet making his point clear. Ginny cast him a knowing look.  
  
Ron blushed lightly. "Oh...I just...lost my train of thought."  
  
"And that's so _rare_ isn't it?" Ginny offered, breaking the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Ron scowled at her. "You better be glad I'm not over there."  
  
"You couldn't catch me anyways."  
  
It was as if that one last line sparked something in Ron, because he immediatly started after Ginny. And my were they two fast siblings.  
  
"Ginny! Ron!" Molly exclaimed exasperatedly before giving up, "Oh, they'll come to eventually..."  
  
Hermione grinned at Harry as she heard a clatter in the distance followed by a distinct "Ow!". She realized that Harry once again had that distant look in his eye, yet he had a smile hidden right beneath that. Ginny and Ron, he had come to find, were quite amusing when put together.

---  
  
Ginny had woken early in the morning once again, it had been a week maybe after their initial Quidditch match. She was pleased to find that they had all been getting very accustomed to Mr. Weasley as the new minister of magic. Though, he had told them all (the rest of the Weasleys were informed immediatly) to keep it quiet. The public wasn't to know until much later in the summer. He had been very absent lately, busy with getting things reorganized. Though as she was unpleased to find, Harry had been avoiding being alone with her at all costs. It frustrated her to no end, she was only trying to be there for him in the same way as  
  
Hermione and Ron were....but was it in the same way?  
  
_'Don't be stupid Ginny...'_ she thought to herself as she decended the stairs _'Harry Potter will never look at you like that, and you already gave up...'_  
  
"Ginny?" She was startled out of her reverie by the sound of a voice. She felt a strange sensation in her stomach when she realized who it belonged to.  
  
"Harry," she said quietly, "Didn't know you were an early riser."  
  
"I'm not," he said breezily, "Just couldn't sleep any longer."  
  
She walked over to the kitchen table where he was sitting, debating to herself whether she should sit down with him. She decided she might as well, this was the first time in a week they had gotten a chance alone to talk. But as she sat down, he seemed to have realized that he was alone with her and stiffened in his chair.  
  
"Well, I better go back to bed...get in some more sleep."  
  
She felt her anger rising, she did not like to be ignored. Especially not by someone who had no reason to do so.  
  
"Harry stop!" she exclaimed heatedly. He turned around in surprise but she continued before he could speak. "Why have you been avoiding me? I didn't do anything to you, and frankly I'd like to know why."  
  
He looked like a deer caught in headlights, as if her confronting him had never been a possibility. He was clearly mistaken as to the kind of person Ginny really was then.  
  
"I er.. I've just been...busy..." he stumbled as he tried to find a way to say this. Although usually he wouldn't have had a problem lying about how he felt.  
  
Ginny scowled. "Busy? Busy I presume contemplating on how you need to be alone to fight Voldermort." Harry realized that Ginny had probably said his name without realizing it, he hadn't heard her say it before. "You're not alone. Harry, didn't my letter mean anything to you?"  
  
He seemed completely dumbfounded and she thought as to whether she had said anythig really offending....she hadn't had she?  
  
"Ginny, your letter meant more to me than you know. Than anyone knows. But..." he started to pace around a bit once again searching for words, "There's....there's a way things are. I'm...I'm the Boy Who Lived and people need me to be that, for their own sake. I'm the one supposed to fight Voldermort...and in a way I need to be the person they want me to be. The boy who'll kill Voldermort alone. It's the only way I can seem to help, to put people's fears at rest. The only way that I can even help myself." He quickly shut his mouth, alarmed at how much he had shared with someone he barely knew. He expected she would never want a moment alone with him again. Yet, he was suprised to find a small grin on her face; a tired grin, but a grin none the less.  
  
"What is it?" he asked confused.  
  
"It's interesting," she started, "How you come to the conclusion that you can help people by just being you, because for the first time you're right. Well, except for that alone part but I guess we'll have to work on it Potter." And with that, she swept out of the room without another word. Had she just insulted him and complimented him at the same time? He'd told her more in those two minutes than he had allowed himself to even tell Hermione and Ron. He shrugged to himself, Ginny was interesting herself.  
  
(A/N: Yeah. Long (for me lol) haha... a bit choppy, sorry about that. Anyhoo...more soon hopefully!)


End file.
